Azienda Sanitaria Locale Torino 3 (Italy)

In Italy, healthcare is provided to all citizens and residents by a mixed public-private system. The A.S.L. TO3 refers to the public part of the National Health Service which is organized under the Ministry of Health and is administered on a regional basis. The A.S.L. TO3 serves an area of nearly 600,000 inhabitants and it is located in the Piedmont region, in the north-western Italy. It is divided in nine districts and eight hospitals that provide inpatient care with at least one overnight stay and specialist outpatient care.

The A.S.L. TO3 follows the objectives of the National and Regional Health Sanitary Plans in order to defend the psychological and physical health of its population. The aims of the A.S.L. TO3 are: to guarantee levels of essential and uniform health care in its territory, in line with the best epidemiological evidence; to provide services that are both necessary and appropriate, consistent with the resources allocated.

The mission of A.S.L. TO3 is to improve the quality of life of its population, by improving the quality of health care according to the following values: the focus to the person; the integration of health services and the local community; the constant search for areas of excellence.

The Mental Health service in A.S.L. TO3 is provided by the Mental Health and Pathological Addiction Department (MHPAD) which is integrated with the University School of Medicine and the San Luigi Gonzaga Teaching Hospital.

The MHPAD is composed of several agencies with different roles, but with a large prevalence of community-based services. More precisely, 11 Mental Health Centers (MHC) are distributed on the territory. They offer a specialist outpatient activity and oversee the planning, implementation and monitoring of therapeutic-rehabilitation projects provided to patients. In addition to MHC outpatient interventions, the MHPAD provides residential and day care interventions. The offer is completed by three hospital services for psychiatric emergency and crisis for a total of 30 beds. One of them is integrated with the Torino University School of Medicine. Other hospital beds are offered by private accredited and affiliated facilities.

The A.S.L. TO3 will take part in the project by fostering the use of video-conferencing for monitoring purposes in its territory, and by introducing the cCBT service at a local level in order to reach a target of 300 patients with depression.

The iFightDepression tool is a guided, internet-based self-management program for individuals experiencing mild to moderate depression.

The program is intended to help individuals to self-manage their symptoms of depression and to promote recovery, with support from a trained GP or mental health professional. The tool is based on the principles of CBT; it consists of six core modules, and three additional modules that can be performed by patients, according to their clinical needs.

ccVC:

The introduction of the video-conference systems for clinical monitoring allows health care professionals to reach and monitor a proportion of patients with mild to moderate depression, which is important, when there are an increasing number of patients with depressive disorders.

All of the patients undergoing ccVC are also being treated with the cCBT tool IfightDepression. A typical patient’s “flow” during the MasterMind project is shown in the figure.

ASL TO3 team members:

Role in projectOverall:Part of the ASL TO3 MasterMind team. In charge of the scientific supervision of the project, and of the organizational issues related to the MasterMind (for the ASL TO3 Unit).Specific role in WPs:No leadership in any WPs. Actively involved in the WPs pertaining to our Unit (i.e. WPs 6 & 7 ).

Expertise relevant to project
Significant clinical experience (got the PhD in Neuropathology and Psychiatry in 1970).
Full Professor of Psychiatry at the University of Turin (Italy).
Significant expertise in Sanitary Management:
Past Director of the Integrated Department of Mental Health and Drug Addiction of Turin (Italy).

Role in projectOverall:Part of the ASL TO3 MasterMind team. In charge of the collection of clinical data, and of the networking between the clinical and technical people involved in the project (for the ASL TO3 Unit).Specific role in WPs:No leadership in any WPs. Actively involved in the WPs pertaining to our Unit (i.e. WPs 6 & 7).

Expertise relevant to projectSignificant experience in scientific research.
(M.Sc. + Ph.D. + 4-year post-doc in Medical Statistics and Clinical Psychology); President of the Forum of Young Researchers (FYRE) of the World Federation of Neurology – Research group on Aphasia and Cognitive Disorders (2011-2012).
In charge of the design and management of a web-database for another multicenter project (European Depression EMDR Network) investigating EMDR treatment in recurrent depression.
Good computer skills.

Role in projectOverall:Part of the ASL TO3 MasterMind team. In charge of the clinical supervision of the project, and of the organizational issues related to the MasterMind (for the ASL TO3 Unit)Specific role in WPs:No leadership in any WPs. Actively involved in the WPs pertaining to our Unit (i.e. WPs 6 & 7).

Expertise relevant to projectSignificant clinical experience (got the Specialization in Psychiatry in 1986).
Significant expertise in Sanitary Management:
I am the Consultant Psychiatrist since 2000.
I am the Director of the Mental Health Department of our MasterMind Unit (ASL TO3) from 2004.
I am currently part of the board of the Health Regional Council (Piedmont) for mental health; with this role I have coordinated national clinical and management projects in the field of mental health services.

Role in project
Overall:Part of the ASL TO3 MasterMind team (Administrative). In charge of the financial statement.Specific role in WPs:No leadership in any WPs. Actively involved in the WP1.

Expertise relevant to projectIn charge of the Service ”Planning and Management Control” in ASL TO3; Previous experience in ASL TO3: Accounting Office – Hygiene and Public Health Service; Experience in accounting of regional and national funding assigned to the ASL TO3.
Regional co-ordination of the project Social Accountability (2008-2010) at ARESS (Regional Health Services Agency – Piedmont Region).
Good computer skills.